KARACHI: Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday assured Pakistan Railways (PR) of his government’s full support in removing illegal encroachments along the tracks of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The chief minister held a meeting with Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi at the CM House and discussed the revival of the KCR, rehabilitation of old tracks, and introduction of new trains on the Karachi-Rohri and Karachi-Jacobabad (via Kotri and Dadu) routes.

The meeting also agreed to develop green corridors along railway tracks to improve urban mobility and environmental sustainability in Karachi.

It was noted that encroachments on railway land were identified as a major hurdle in the smooth functioning of rail services.

Murad, Railways Minister Abbasi discuss rehabilitation of KCR tracks, introduction of new trains in Sindh

The chief minister directed the district administrations to extend full support to PR for removing illegal encroachments.

“Encroachments cannot be allowed to compromise public infrastructure. We will provide full administrative backing to clear railway land,” he asserted.

The railway minister stressed strict action, saying: “Railway land is a national asset. We will work with the Sindh government to ensure its protection and lawful utilisation.”

According to a statement, the meeting was attended, among others, by Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Local Government (LG) Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, LG Secretary Waseem Shamshad, and Transport Secretary Asad Zamin.

Chairman of PR, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, and General Manager (GM) Hafeezullah, Addl GM Railways Hammad Mirza, Divisional Superintendent (DS) Karachi Jamshaid Alam and DIG Railways South Muneer Shaikh were also present in the meeting.

The meeting focused on the revival and sustainable operation of suburban train services, particularly in Karachi, to address growing urban transport challenges.

The participants agreed that the suburban rail network, including the KCR, offered an affordable and “environmentally friendly” solution for daily commuters.

The chief minister stressed the need for a coordinated framework between the federal and provincial governments to rehabilitate infrastructure, improve scheduling, and ensure regular operations.

Assuring full cooperation from PR, the federal minister said, “We are committed to restoring suburban train services in Karachi. With joint efforts, we can transform this system into a reliable and modern mode of transport”.

The chief secretary informed Abbasi that the Sindh government was planning to construct an underpass at Malir Halt, but due to delays in the issuance of the no-objection certificate (NOC), the project had been pending.

The federal minister directed the PR chairman to issue the NOC so that it could be constructed.

The meeting also discussed a proposal to develop greenbelts and linear plantations along railway corridors, particularly from Karachi Cantonment to Jumma Goth, in collaboration with the Sindh government.

It was decided that the forest and LG departments would work with PR to implement plantation drives with proper maintenance mechanisms.

The issue of outstanding dues for the maintenance and upgradation of railway level crossings across Sindh also came up for discussion.

The chief minister directed that a comprehensive reconciliation be carried out to settle pending liabilities. “Public safety is our top priority. High-risk level crossings must be upgraded without delay to prevent accidents,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026